My name is Santos Kallon, I am 27 years old. In 1998 I had my right arm amputated by the rebels. In 2002 I started my wood carving. I just had a feeling in me to make wood carvings. I took a long knife and some soft wood and started to carve. I started to carve cultural things that is what I had a feeling to do, that is what made me start the carving. I practised myself a lot and then I tried to mingle with people who knew how to carve more than me. I watched them and how they worked and talked to them and I kept on practising. Now I can do many things with this type of wood. I could now carve any design I was asked to do.I can even make beads myself from wood and from natural stones so I can put them together to make individually designed cultural necklaces.My tools are a vice, a tor, a chisel, a rough file, a smooth file, smooth and rough sandpaper and a special knife. Obviously I use polish to finish them.

At the moment business is not good, I am not getting many sales. The local artists were very happy when the Minister for Tourism and Culture said that we could sell our work on the Lumley roundabout each weekend. Some of us wanted to come here every day. If you like my carvings and would like to buy any of my work please contact me by phone on 00 232 (0)76 80 99 27 or through the contact page on this website.

7 users commented in " ARTISTS SHOWCASE – Santos Kallon "

I am going to London on 14 January. If anyone wants to order anything from Santos in the UK I would be happy to deliver it to them.

Fred said,

in December 28th, 2007 at 6:02 am

Hi Santos, I’m encouraged by your effort to create art despite your lose. I am also an artist with disability (paralyzed by a neuromuscular disease). I hope to put some of my art in the 2008 UK festival. Thanks for sharing your story,
Fred

Elena said,

in January 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pm

Santos Kallon shows a great sensitivity by means of his art. He is a good wood worker and his creations are a pure glance of Sierra Leone. Nothing is able to stop the creativity and the artistic creation. Thanks for sharing your work.

Al Heidt said,

in January 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 am

Hi

We are Al and Cindy Heidt. We served in the Peace Corps from 1979 through 1981. I taught at St Michaels’ Boys School and Cindy taught at the Methodist Girls School.

We Got to know Samuel S Marco a wood carver who lived close to the Moyamba Railway Station. We’ve got a number of his carvings. We do not know what happenned to him. Did he survive the civil war and the horible trauma that it percipitated. Sierra Leone is remembered as a beautiful country with beautiful people. Does any one know of Samuel S Marco. He was the wood carver who carved the wood chain that was displayed in Freetown for Pa Shaka Stevens the than President

Hello Al and Cindy, we will research this for you print this off, speak to the artists and get back to you. JT

Sally said,

in January 25th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

Dear Santos,

Jane has just delivered your beautiful giraffe to me in London and I wanted to thank you. He is so elegant, a lovely golden piece of Africa. I am so delighted by him that I have ordered another two. I have to tell you that when we were looking at the giraffes in a restaurant in London – a passer by asked “Did you get those in Harrods?” which is the smartest and most expensive shop in London! High praise indeed. all the best Sally